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    Community formation and protectionism in Auckland's intensification process : exploring opportunities and complexities of high(er)-density planning in a low-density city : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health, Massey University, Aotearoa New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2018) Dolan, Edward Charles
    A rapid population increase due to increasing migration, escalating house prices and supply issues have led to a ‘housing crisis’ in Auckland. These challenges, in addition to efforts to curb suburban sprawl and improve community outcomes, have made intensification a priority for Auckland Council. However, intensification creates tension between stakeholders, not only in relation to the end-product which some consider unsatisfactory or discordant in existing low-density neighbourhoods, but because of perceived shortcomings in the process as well. As this process gains momentum, traditional ideas about community are being challenged, reimagined and protected. This thesis reports on a longitudinal interview and focus-group based study, and examines how intensification and community formation processes are experienced and interpreted by a range of stakeholders including new and existing residents, developers, Auckland Council and community interest groups. It also examines challenges in the intensification process, especially related to place-attachment and place-protectionism amongst existing communities in response to proposed or planned change. This research interprets phenomena through social, spatial and temporal lenses, of which each is given equal weighting, and is consistent with social constructionism which recognises multiple ‘knowledges’ and ‘truths’. Findings reveal a diversity of views regarding community, both at a conceptual level and as an outcome which is derived from specific processes and influences. Representing either a group of people bound by commonality, a personal feeling of belonging, or a resource providing members with benefits, notions of community and community outcomes are increasingly important to stakeholders in Auckland’s intensification process. However, institutional distrust in the planning process poses a threat to achieving successful community outcomes, with schisms and tensions evident between stakeholders. While a degree of conflict is inevitable in a democratic system, findings suggest that intensification will be more successful, both in terms of outputs and public acceptance, if institutional distrust (where it exists) is replaced by forms of critical trust in the planning system as well as in the stakeholders operating within it.
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    An evaluation and application of the minimum requirements method of economic base analysis to the delineation of the functional structure of New Zealand urban places, 1971 : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Geography at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1975) Astle, Alec M
    The basic-nonbasic dichotomy of functions performed by urban places, their relative importance in ensuring the existence and continued growth of urban places, and the problems encountered in their identification and measurement have been examined within the conceptual framework of the economic base concept. One of the indirect or macro methods of economic base analysis which has been used in the identification and measurement of the basic and nonbasic functions performed by urban places, namely the minimum requirements method and its variants, has also been examined and evaluated in order to provide a theoretical and methodological framework for the application of the second variant of the method to 82 New Zealand urban places. On the basis of the Department of Labour's April, 1971 half-yearly survey of employment statistics, the second variant of the minimum requirements method as developed by Ullman and Dacey and refined by the use of least-squares linear regression equations and their associated regression lines which systematically correct the results obtained for variations in urban place population size, has been used to identify and measure the basic and nonbasic functions performed by New Zealand urban places. Using the basic functions, which are generally considered predominantly of economic significance, as a quantitative measure of the extent to which each of the industrial categories represented in the employment structure of an urban place constitute an economic specialisation of the urban place; the complex of specialised functions characteristic of each urban place in New Zealand has been used to delineate the functional structure of the urban place. To clarify these results and provide a comparative indicator, reference has been made to several direct or micro economic base studies which have applied the sales-employment conversion method of economic base analysis to individual New Zealand urban places, and to a number of overseas economic base studies which have applied the minimum requirements method and its variants to various national and regional systems of urban places. Finally, to obtain an overview of the New Zealand urban scene the basic functional structures of New Zealand urban places have been characterised and classified. Each urban place's dominant function, its distinctive functions, and its degree of functional specialisation have been determined to achieve this end in a similar manner to Maxwell's functional classification of Canadian cities. The results of this classification have been presented in tabular and cartographic form, discussed in terms of their spatial patterns and statistical aspects, and compared with several functional classes derived by Pownall in his earlier functional classification of New Zealand towns. The overview gained indicates the predominantly multi-functional basic character of the functional structures of New Zealand urban places.
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    The effects of urban sprawl on agricultural land use in Sri Lanka : a case study on Gampaha District : a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Philosophy (Agricultural Economics), Massey University
    (Massey University, 1996) Satkunarajah, Vijayaranee
    Sri Lanka is an island nation situated in the Indian Ocean to the South-west of the Indian subcontinent. In 1977, Sri Lanka adopted free market economic policies to overcome the economic problems and poverty of the country and its people. Although the new policy changes have brought some improvement to the economy, many of the changes were achieved at the cost of the environment and the agricultural sector. As the agricultural sector still plays, and will continue to play, a major role in the national economy, especially in terms of food security, export earnings, employment opportunities and income generation, and as a source of raw material for many industries, it is necessary to minimize the adverse effects on the agricultural sector and the resources used by this sector from the urban and industrial development encouraged under the free market policies. This thesis has focused on land degradation and land conversion in peri-urban areas. Special attention has been focused on the case study area of Gampaha district, situated next to the capital city of Colombo. Questionnaire surveys were carried out with former and present farmers in various areas of the district. 135 former farmers, who had sold their lands for non-agricultural uses, were interviewed in the first questionnaire survey to identify the reasons they sold their lands. The second questionnaire survey interviewed 195 present farmers, to identify the problems they have been facing in the agricultural sector, especially since the introduction of the free market policies. Further, a grid survey was undertaken to identify the land use changes in the district. The present land uses identified through the grid survey were compared with the land use data prepared in 1981 by the Land Use Planning Unit, Gampaha district. Data were also collected relating to the discharge of effluent and waste in the peri-urban areas of the district. The results showed that urban and built-up land has increased from 1.6 percent in 1981 to 14.9 percent in 1996. The total agricultural land underproduction in the district declined from 90.41 percent in l98l to 56.85 percent in 1996. Paddy land decreased from 16.12 percent to 10.48 percent, coconut land decreased from 17.51 percent to 10.94 percent, and the homestead lands decreased from 49.9 percent to 30.84 percent. This study further found that urban and industrial effluent discharged, even after treatment, was still of unacceptable levels. The study also identified that much of the land converted to non-agricultural uses was under-utilised or used extensively, due to a lack of essential infrastructure development. This has created large expanses of waste land which are not used productively by either sector. The farmers in the study were found to be suffering problems in cultivation due to a number of factors, including the withdrawal or limitation of subsides, flooding due to poor irrigation, and pollution from the industrial sector. They were thus attracted by increasing land prices which were manipulated by the private property developers in the free market environment. This has lead to fertile agricultural land being rapidly converted on the urban fringes and along the main roads of the district. To solve the problems related to premature land conversion, and land degradation, this thesis identifies a number of policy changes and programmes which need to be adopted. These include the adoption of agricultural zoning to prevent urban expansion onto agricultural land, measures to control the activities of private property developers, and consequently the rising cost of land, and pollution control measures. There is also a need to intensify agriculture in areas still under cultivation, through measures such as intercropping and increased fertilizer input. Immediate attention must be given to slow land conversion in peri-urban areas, and to prevent land degradation. An appropriate land use management plan is urgently required in order to ensure sustainable development in Gampaha district and Sri Lanka as a whole.
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    Urban growth management in New Zealand : what factors have influenced urban growth management policies in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions over the period 1986 to 2009? : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Resources and Environmental Planning at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2013) Pascall, Kate
    Urban growth management is a planning concept that emerged in the 1960s, and is mainly associated with planning in the United States at that time. It is linked with concerns around urban sprawl and more recently sustainability. Urban growth management has been utilised extensively in the United States, in particular in Portland, as well as Australia and New Zealand. However, it is reasonable to say that the focus on sustainability in the last two decades has given more impetus to the notion of urban limits, and the question of density (Williams, 2004). The purpose of urban growth management policy or ‘urban containment’ as it is often termed is largely to curb urban sprawl, retain rural land for productive use, reduce travel time and costs, and in some cases maintain the economic vitality of the urban core. Typically, policies will advocate the development of brownfield sites over greenfield sites on the periphery (Williams, 2004). The smart growth concept is a more recent form of urban growth management, influencing modern planning since its emergence in the 1990s (Gillham, 2002). The research question is thus: ‘What factors have influenced urban growth management policies in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions over the period 1986 to 2009?’ It is believed that this work has not yet been undertaken in New Zealand, and therefore this topic was seen as an ideal contribution to the planning subject. Both areas have recently developed urban development strategies, in a sub-regional context. Moreover, both regions have experienced high rates of population growth over recent decades (Hamilton City Council., Waikato District Council., Waipa District Council., & Environment Waikato., 2009; Tauranga City Council., Western Bay of Plenty District Council., & Environment Bay of Plenty., 2007). The research seeks to find out how each region’s approach to planning for urban development has changed over time.